Thursday, March 19, 2009

Where did that week go?Two big anime trailers for you; first is the new Kenji Kamiyama, slated for the Spring noitaminA slot; trailer is slightly too focused on the melodrama and eyes widening in wonder, but the Bourne-like shit is all good, and Kamiyama has earned some trust.

Bakemonogatari is less a trailer than a staff roll with a couple of character designs attached. Still, these were some of Nisioisin's best books, and Shinbo, for all his crimes, may well be an ideal match.

9 comments:

Don't know how I feel about Umino's designs in Eden of the East yet. Feel at odds with the kind of storytelling and direction that I associate with Kamiyama. Then again, this could turn into a positive like it did with Ghost Hound. (I'm also reminded that I still have yet to see the final Bourne movie.)

That Shinbo project... um, will watch at least one episode.

The only other series that is remotely promising -- as Rainbow seems to be in production limbo, or something, and Kadokawa is fucking around with Haruhi -- is Shangri-La. I mean, alright: it's Gonzo, it centers around a young girl leading a resistance (or something), it may become problematic with its environmental themes, and, yeah, it's still Gonzo. BUT! I'd like to think that a miracle can happen and finally change my opinion of the studio from "those jokers who got lucky with Last Exile."

^Looking forward to Rainbow too, eh, David? Cool beans. Not much news regarding that one is quite troubling though.

I'm watching Shangri-La for Range Murata's character designs alone. Fell in love with his art ever since I experienced Last Exile for the first time. Of course, I'm not expecting another LE, but it would certainly be a nice bonus, were it to happen.

As for Bakemonogatari. NEVER AGAIN! I'm never watching an Akiyuki Shinbo anime ever again. Yeah ... no real comment on that one.

I had a similar opinion of Shinbo until Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei. Although I had only see Soul Taker, which was unspeakable.But he found a way to marry his stylistic excesses to the stylistic excesses of the SZS manga, and to make it all play into the book's berserk sense of humor. In that sense, I think he might actually be the right choice for Bakemonogatari; the result will certainly be more interesting than a more generic director.

Everything Shinbo I've seen has been mediocre -- Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei included -- and Maria Holic was the last straw. Though I never expected MH to be great (more like a guilty pleasure), Shinbo's overblown style ruined it for me. We just can't seem to get along.

I have to admit that - since I don't watch much anime - I only have a vague idea of who Shinbo is, and I don't remember ever having watched anything by him.

But, with the admission that maybe I'd feel differently if I'd watched and hated him, I'm actually pleased to find that Bakemonogatari is being directed by someone with a style that can instantly inspire negative reactions like this. The books are so good, and more importantly so crazy and Nishio Ishin, I'd rather see the direction in the hands of someone with an uncoventional and overblown style, where it has a chance (possibly slim, but a chance) of gelling with the source and taking on some kind of crazy, overblown, Nishio-like genius, than in the hands of a conventional director where I have a feeling it would at best be "good" and likely just mediocre.

I wish I could have expressed that in a more punchy, punk-rock, death-or-glory type of way, but I'm far too tired so you'll just have to note the sentiment and use your imagination.

Exactly. I've had so many books I loved destroyed by directors who just didn't have any sort of distinctive flair that I wind up finding this encouraging, even though my tastes almost never cross over into the sort of thing Shinbo usually directs.

I'm about done with the myth that the production company implies anything other than production values. Except for shit companies, which are shit.Production IG has done a ton of garbage. This matters because it's Kamiyama. I'd also assume East of Eden would be the more typical association, especially given how much anime likes brooding pretty boys.

Eastern Standard magazine

These are the 4 issues of the fanzine we produced a while back (2002-2004). They're rough, but they're also the foundation for a lot of what we've built since then, including this site.
Click on the issues to bring up the full reader.
Issue 1 focused on Berserk, Jin-roh, and Asian live-action movies. It also had a memorable review of Gundress.

Issue 2 was a dissection of FLCL (it explains it all, really) and the work of Taiyo Matsumoto.